In a rather unfortunate turn of events for the residents of Mississippi, recent rankings have put them at the top of the charts in a particularly unflattering category. According to Trust for America's Health, they're the fattest state in the nation.

While it's easy to poke fun at the state that receives this dubious honor, these statistics reveal a serious problem. More than 30 percent of Mississippians are considered obese (contrasted with Colorado, the leanest state, where the obesity rate is only 17 percent) -- meaning that the state sees more cases of diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related ailments than other parts of the country, and incurs the incredibly high costs associated with treating these conditions.

To make matters worse, it's a difficult trend to reverse. According to the chair of the state's Public Health Committee, greasy, fried, "fatback" foods are very popular, and when you add the fact that more than 30 percent of Mississippi residents don't engage in any kind of physical exercise (the national average is 22 percent), you can start to see how the state earned its number one ranking.

Hopefully this will serve as a wake-up call. By the sounds of it, the state could use a little kick in pants.